About

The Hexanomicon is a setting generator using stickers of hexmap landscape elements, sheets on which to place them and tables to determine the contents of hexes. Specific destinations are left to the judge. I dot my map with published adventure modules and a few NPC homes. This issue includes a template to create and print your own stickers from graphics you create or find.

In the game I currently run, the party may learn that there is a Wizard's tower a few days journey away. I decide that their journey should not be trivial so I use the hex name generator to create The Glittering Bogs of Ada'akka. The bogs will contain beasts so Jumping Gore Beetles are created from a table that combines stats for jumping, gore, and beetles. Later, the evil wizard is defeated easily by burning down the party's luck and stats. With their decreased luck, on the way home they roll a terrible encounter in the Glittering Bogs. Perhaps they should not have burned down their stats so far.

These tools are created for Dungeon Crawl Classics but can be easily adapted to other systems.

I use this tool to create a casual hex map as we play. Hexes are not particular distances but more like story elements. The wizard's tower inhabits one hex and when the party reaches that hex, they are at the tower. The Glittering Bogs around the tower may only take one hex to pass through but that hex takes 3 days. The map is created on the fly, develops as the story does and requires little preparation.

Included are stickers to create your own fleeting luck tokens as well as a few other tokens. This issue also includes blank sticker sheets for you to print your own stickers or tokens. Links to where you can purchase additional blank sticker sheets and blank wooden tokens will be provided. I hope people will make and share their own hex map stickers.

All reward levels include

Links to blank wooden tokens to put stickers on yourself. Future issues will have more uses for the wooden tokens.

You can use these tools a number of ways but hopefully, you will have a way to create a setting on the fly that is fun for you as well as your players.

Hexanomicon Process

Hexes have an alignment. The alignment can change. The party may bring the light of justice to an area. I usually decide the hex alignment myself but it may be determined randomly. There are rules for determining the hex alignment based on luck or you can also determine the landscape randomly.

Roll Landscape

1 Doom Hex or Plains / hills

2-4 Plains / hills

5-6 Forest / Jungle

7 Mountain Range

8 Desert / Ice

9 Swamp / Bogs

10 Water

I have a general idea where I want major rivers or impassable terrain and I draw that between hexes.

Chaotic hexes have a negative effects. I do not decide these randomly in my game but you can. Doom hexes may have two or more effects. I choose or roll once for an area and it always has that same effect when the players pass through. Doom Hexes are generally only one hex across and the domain of a particularly vile creature. Maybe a trio of Glamorous Spore Women who also have a couple spells and some landscape that helps them like Fire Vines. Tables help create these meanies.

Here is an example of a thirst result:

First begins the terrible thirst then the aching head. The sun beats down on you as you squeeze out the last few drops of water onto your parched lips.

d20 +Average luck modifier to find water. Provisions or other factors can modify this roll.

d20 Result

Fumble As below and unluckiest party member succumbs. Permanently lose 1 Stamina and bed ridden for 1 week.

1-5 1d4HP+1, 2 Stamina

6-10 1d4HP, 1 Stamina

11-15 1d3HP

16-20 Desperate, you find a watering hole

Crit Healing oasis - Food, water, and all healed

Beasts

These strange landscapes need their own particular wildlife. Just as The Fire Swamp hosts Rodents of Unusual Size. Roll first on the Beast Attribute table. (60/60 rows complete)

These two tables can create creatures like Gore Wolves. Vicious pack hunters with piercing tentacles springing from their backs. Or, Poison Slime Rats. These swarming beasts coat you in a sticky diseased goo.

Names

If you wish to name your area, you can use the naming tables like so (optional items in italic):

NeutralArea Name + Proper Name

Examples:

Klazdoon

The Sands of Dagbala

Ada'akka Desert

Chaotic Special Name A + Area Name + Proper Name

Examples:

The Blighted Crags

Crooked Woods

DoomSpecial Name A + Special Name B + Proper Name

Examples:

The Womb of Sadness

The Screaming Pits of Uruksoom

After a hex is created I put a few more hexes down with the same contents so it is not so easy to bypass and with that you have created a new area of your hex map.

Additional materials

Beast Encounter Types (20/20 rows complete)

This table gets nicer as it moves up so modifiers or dice chain can hone in on easier or more difficult results. 1d8+4 would give a range of difficult but not too difficult situations. These are meant only as wilderness encounter seeds to add a bit of variety.

Roll d20 or 3d6 +/- Luck Modifier (x2 or x3 if you want luck to be more important).

1. Doom

2. Surrounded

3. Hunted

4. In their territory

5. Surprised

6. A trap...

People and Parties (30/30 rows complete)

1. Plague victims

2. Acolytes

3. Armed forces

4. Artisans

5. Assassin

6. Bandit...

Settlements (16/16 rows complete)

Larger settlements will be planned into the campaign but some smaller settlements may be come across randomly. Use a die lower on the dice chain for smaller structures.

1. Farm

2. Inn

3. Trading post

4. Mining colony

5. Outpost

6. Spider Goat Herder...

Stretch Goals

$2000.00 - Psychogeopraphy

The psychogeographical map lies under the physical map and can only be discerned through testing (casting spells at particular locations) or through the Divination spell.

Ley lines cross the map. Line intersections are points of strange magical effects. Mid-points between intersections are the points of arcane focus. Spell checks and encounters may be affected.

$3000 - Divination Spell

A first level spell used to identify the location of psychogeographical points of interest as well as mundane geographical features such as underground water sources.

Risks and challenges

Most of the content has been completed. Layout remains which will take some time. I make and sell electronics kits with instruction manuals so I believe I have a good handle on the print/production aspect. My biggest concern is the quality of the content. I plan on releasing to backers all work in progress materials in order to address any issues. Hopefully there will be good feedback.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 7 or more
About US$ 7

Planar Step

For international backers. You will receive a code from DriveThruRPG to print the zine at cost. Their calculator puts the cost at 2.67USD. You will have to pay shipping with a price based on your location.
This will be only the zine itself. Stickers and other items will have to be printed from the template files if you want them.
Lead time is increased by a month due to extra setup.